Overland (magazine)
# Overland (magazine)

Overland is an Australian literary and cultural magazine, established in 1954 and as of April 2020 published quarterly in print as well as online.

## History

Overland was established in 1954, under the auspices of the Realist Writers Group in Melbourne, with Stephen Murray-Smith as the first editor-in-chief. It was initially formed by anti-Stalinist members of the Communist Party of Australia and other members of the 1950s New Left.

### Editors

The magazine has been edited by:

* Stephen Murray-Smith, 1954–1988
* Barrett Reid, 1988–1993
* John McLaren, Spring 1993 – Autumn 1997
* Ian Syson, Winter 1997 – Summer 2002
* Nathan Hollier and Katherine Wilson, Autumn 2002 – Spring 2004
* Nathan Hollier, 2005–2006
* Jeff Sparrow, 2007–2014
* Jacinda Woodhead, 2015–2019
* Evelyn Araluen and Jonathan Dunk, since 2019

## Description

Overland describes itself as "Australia’s only radical literary magazine", which publishes fiction, poetry, non-fiction and art. It says it "continues to document lesser-known stories and histories [and] give a voice to those whose stories are otherwise marginalised, misrepresented or ignored, and point public debate in alternative directions".

Its formats are a quarterly print journal (which publishes fiction, poetry and essays) and an online magazine containing daily cultural commentary and occasional fiction and poetry. It also "holds events, discussions and debates, hosts a number of major literary competitions, and runs a residency for under-represented writers".

As of December 2019, the editors-in-chief are Evelyn Araluen and Jonathan Dunk, and it is published by a not-for-profit organisation. Its patron is Barry Jones.

## Competitions

* Judith Wright Poetry Prize for New and Emerging Poets (A$9,000), established in 2007
* Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize (A$5,000)
* Nakata Brophy Short Fiction and Poetry Prize for Young Indigenous Writers (A$5,000, publication in the print magazine, and a writing residency at Trinity College, University of Melbourne
* Victoria University Short Story Prize for New Writers (A$8,000)
* Fair Australia Prize (A$20,000)
* Overland Kuracca Prize for Australian Literature in honour of Kerry Reed-Gilbert (A$8,000)
